Recipes!

Cumin-Spiced Broccoli Soup

It’s been raining and cool these last few days, making us long for something warm and cosy as we huddle together on the couch. There has been a drought for the past month in Fujian province, so the government shot a bunch of weather missiles up into the air to induce rain. Oh boy did it work. Non-stop pouring for 2 ½ days.

So on one of these rainy days I peeked into the fridge and spied a head of broccoli and not much else. Broccoli soup it was! Not having a recipe handy, I just kind of improvised, and it turned out great! I think I’ve converted Chris to soup drinking. He liked the apple-butternut squash soup I made a month or two ago, and he even enjoyed a cauliflower soup I made recently. Now he’s happily slurping down the green stuff too! Whoo hoo! Who says people don’t change?

What do you crave on a rainy day?

Have you noticed something in common in the past three posts? Yes, we are severely in need of some more bowls.

By the way, have you checked out Chris’ food photography tutorial yet? If you’re a beginner photographer, he’s got some great explanations (in layman’s terms!) of some photography basics.

Cumin-Spiced Broccoli Soup

The potato in this soup gives it creaminess, so no added milk or cream is necessary. We did like it with a dollop of yogurt though.

Cut broccoli into florets, and chop the stalk into small pieces (you may want to peel off the tough bits of the stalk).

In a soup pot, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat until softened. Add broccoli stalks and potato cubes and brown slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Add water, stock, and bay leaves. Simmer until broccoli stalks and potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes). Add broccoli florets and simmer another 5 minutes or so until tender.

Remove the bay leaves. Purée the soup in a blender in batches (or use an immersion blender to purée it in the pot). Return to pot, stir in pinch of cumin, and adjust salt if needed.

Ladle into bowls and dollop with a bit of yogurt. Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches, or garlic toasts, or whatever sounds good to you.

I’ve had this bookmarked forever, but I am definitely making it this week! I plugged in the numbers to my calorie counting tool and (assuming 4 servings) it’s less than 100 cals per serving! So I will be happily slurping a double portion sometime soon this week. Thanks for the recipe!